Javelinas sports program avoids NCAA sanctions

The university self-reported the violations to the NCAA involving 20 athletes

There will be no sanctions or penalties levied on Texas
A&M-Kingsvilles athletics program by the NCAA following
violations of student-athletes who improperly received course credits.

The university self-reported the violations to the NCAA involving 20
athletes on Nov. 29 last year. Athletics director Jill Willson received
word from the national governing body for college athletics on
Wednesday that no penalties would be forthcoming.

"As Id said before, we thought it was secondary (infractions).
We just wanted to get their help to make sure," Willson said.

Through internal investigations last September, A&M-Kingsville
discovered it had accepted course credits from the 20 transfer students
that were continuing education classes as opposed to correspondence
courses. Continuing education courses cannot be used to establish
and/or maintain eligibility for athletes.

And of the 20, only four football players had received the credits
improperly, Willson said. Those four have exhausted their
eligibility.

Willson said that other universities around the country have
experienced similar situations. The fact A&M-Kingsville
self-reported the mistake helped as the NCAA reviewed the matter.

"It was a secondary violation," she said. "We had to make sure in
our own institution that this doesnt happen again."
Future student-athletes who transfer to the Division II university will
have their transcripts more closely scrutinized, Willson said.

She said the NCAA is organizing a committee to address the issue
nationally. Some type of guidelines or regulations should come at a
later date.